Pictorial Space throughout Art History: Cézanne and ... - ARAS

ARAS Connections Issue 2, 2012
Hans Hofmann published Search for the Real |24| in 1948. His book
explains why pictorial space is important but, lacking diagrams, does not show
what pictorial space is nor how it is achieved. Nor does Hofmann acknowledge
that pictorial space has a long history. In 1985 Robert Casper self-published On
the Essence of Pictorial Form: A Study of Fundamentals of Pictorial
Construction Universal to All Great Periods of Art |25|. Casper's book explains
pictorial space with clear diagrams and does not confuse it with other aspects of
composition. Of all these books only Loran's and Hofmann's are widely known.
Though Hofmann's paintings are fetching increasingly high prices as he
gains recognition as one of the masters, his insight has dissipated. To achieve
pictorial space is extraordinarily difficult; Hofmann's students usually gave up
the attempt when they stopped studying with him. Some of his students
continued to use his terminology without fully addressing the plastic problem,
thereby further obscuring the issue. In this essay pictorial space is clearly
discussed.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The history of pictorial space
Pictorial space in the literature
Plate 1 Cézanne, Still Life with Apples
What is pictorial space?
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